To preserve an outdated notion of ‘amateurism,’ con’t

Bravo to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, for calling out the Enes Kanter-Kentucky imbroglio for what it is:

“Does anybody think any of this prohibits Kanter from playing at an elite level a year from now? Whether Kanter was paid or not, and whether he passes NCAA muster or not, hes exactly what the NCAAs best stars are: a de facto professional, whose valuable work can make lots of people money except, oddly, him. Hes right on track to join the NBA in 2011, and no matter where he plays between now and then, in terms of his bizarro employment status and income, hell likely fit right in with the best young players from around the world. The players all know that, the teams all know that and the agents all know that. Its too bad this underground, backstabbing NCAA world, and the myth of the amateur student-athlete, keep the system from being reshaped to accommodate the reality that valuable players generally do get paid, one way or another.”

Unlike Georgia football player A.J. Green, at least Kanter is in a sport in which the athlete has more leverage and better options.

And heaven forbid the young tennis player at Princeton who let a former athlete there pay her tuition, thereby earning the full attention of the NCAA, which has meted out what its considers appropriate “punishment.” (h/t Jon Pessah)